“Where is Joseph?” 

“He went for a walk with Dad.”

“ It’s always Joseph! All the time since we were little boys! Sometimes, I wonder if Dad really cares about us. A few days ago, I walked in on Joseph wearing a nice jacket and admiring himself in front of the mirror. I asked him if he had been stealing because the jacket looked quite expensive and I knew he didn’t have the money to buy that kind of jacket for himself. He said Dad got it for him. Can you imagine that?! I already have to deal with this boy’s annoying guts and Dad isn’t making it easier for me!”

“Do you remember the so-called dreams he shared with us about him ruling over us while we all bow to him? The nerve! I mean, I could kill that boy if I get a chance!”

Anger, bitterness, rage, jealousy and all kinds of negative emotions boiled within them as these young men talked about their 17-year old brother, Joseph. It was no secret that he was their father’s favorite and they hated him because of this. His level of confidence, the audacity and the kind of dreams and aspirations he had didn’t help. It made his brothers hate him even more! They decided to kill him but one of them, whose heart still harboured a bit of humaneness, advised against it. 

“I heard about this new human trafficking business. We can sell him off to them. They won’t kill him but they will take him away from us, maybe to another country or continent – who cares? That way, he is out of our sight; we don’t have to deal with the guilt of having his blood on our hands. What do you guys think?”

Smart one, big bro! That’s why you’re the firstborn!” 

“Ok guys, what about Dad? What do we tell him?” 

“Oh that’s easy! We will figure something out shortly. First, let us find these human traffickers and the money to pay them.” 

And they did.

They sold their brother off for a little below $500. 

Joseph found himself in another country, as a domestic staff to one of the top government officials. 

“This isn’t bad. There’s a comfortable bed to sleep in, some good food, a clean living space and the boss himself has put me in charge of the other servants. That means I have won his trust and respect too. I will give it my best shot. I know this is temporary; I won’t be here forever.” Joseph encouraged himself with these words. At his young age, he had mastered the art of  maintaining a positive mindset towards anything that happened to him. 

All went well until one day, Mrs Potiphar, the wife of Joseph’s boss, seeing how handsome Joseph was, decided to be a cougar.  Everything about his physical appearance was appealing to her. She stood, transfixed as she admired Joseph’s verbal strength, his posture and his physical build. She was blown away! Her imagination grew wild. 

“I won’t let this one pass me by!” 

Her mind was made up as she devised plans to satisfy her flesh with what her eyes had seen. 

She summoned Joseph into her private room. 

She flirted. She talked. She cajoled. She threatened. She pleaded. More flirting. 

Joseph wouldn’t give in and Mrs Potiphar wouldn’t give up. 

Daily. 

She was persistent, making the same request. 

Daily.

He was adamant, taking the same stand. 

His reason? 

“My master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.” (Genesis 39:9). 

Joseph had a conscience. 

He had done nothing wrong to deserve that kind of evil treatment from his brothers. He had every reason to be bitter and angry with the world and every other person or thing that put him in that situation.  He had every reason to carry out reckless revenge by being wicked to anyone he met. Afterall, he trusted his brothers enough to share his dream with them and they responded to his trust with hatred and jealousy, selling him off to slavery. Why should he be interested in preserving the trust that Mr Potiphar had in him?  But Joseph had a conscience – one that was humane, alive, alert and intentional about doing right, regardless. 

Joseph had a cause. 

He was determined not to offend God. His mind was made up. It didn’t matter if the request (or should we say demand) came from his master’s wife. It didn’t matter if she promised him a promotion, houses or land. It didn’t matter if it changed his social status in Potiphar’s house. 

But Joseph’s heart was fixed on one cause, which was to avoid anything that would make him sin against God. To demonstrate his commitment to this worthy cause, Joseph kept out of her way as much as possible. 

Our conscience. 

It is who we are when no one is present and it is built based on our values and our beliefs. If we want to preserve our conscience and keep it alive, we have to preserve and uphold our values and beliefs. If our values are tampered with, our conscience will die slowly but surely. 

Our cause. 

It was what we have chosen to stand for, to live for and to die for, if necessary. If we do not have a cause, we will be swayed to and fro by any person, animal, place or thing. 

Back to the rest of Joseph’s story. Joseph was accused of sexual harassment and thrown into jail for an offence he did not commit. Someone might say his good conscience landed him in jail. I’d rather say his good conscience got him out of jail, led him to the palace and earned him the title, Governor of Egypt; Pharoah’s 2-I-C. (second-in-command). 

What is your conscience like; after all that life has thrown at you? Are you still willing to forgive, to love, to give, to care and to help? Is it still alive, dying slowly or completely dead? 

Do you have a cause; a reason behind your Yes and No responses? There is a popular saying – if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.

The world might think you are being extreme but they will know what you stand for. Don’t give in to the pressure. Preserve your conscience, uphold your cause and keep your head up!

You’ve got this!